"The first thing to understand is that mathematics is an art. The difference between math and the other arts, such as music and painting, is that our culture does not recognize it as such." ~ Paul Lockhart, "A Mathematician's Lament
Mathematics is social, creative, artistic, meaningful and fun, but you'd never know it sitting in a modern math class. Our goal at MC2 has always been to uncover these hidden traits of math with our students, by any means possible. One of our more popular learning opportunities is one we call "Geogami" (Geometry + Origami). Originally designed as a hands-on study for a very visual student with severe math-phobia, this learning opportunity evolved into an artistic exploration of Geometry standards. We also may have helped her become less math-phobic; "Math is everywhere, and even though math is difficult, it can be very, very cool, such as with my [Graduation Research Project], origami, and glass making."
We began by looking at the Geometry standards. We used the MC2 Math competencies, which are pulled from the standards designed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). This was before the Common Core State Standards came out, so we are currently retooling this learning opportunity to fully reflect the Common Core Geometry Standards.
The next step was to brainstorm possible projects and connect them to the math standards. We were fortunate enough to partner with aGlass Geometrician who was guiding the students to create "Mathematically correct artwork" in class.
"The first thing to understand is that mathematics is an art. The difference between math and the other arts, such as music and painting, is that our culture does not recognize it as such."
~ Paul Lockhart, "A Mathematician's Lament
We began by looking at the Geometry standards. We used the MC2 Math competencies, which are pulled from the standards designed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). This was before the Common Core State Standards came out, so we are currently retooling this learning opportunity to fully reflect the Common Core Geometry Standards.
The next step was to brainstorm possible projects and connect them to the math standards. We were fortunate enough to partner with aGlass Geometrician who was guiding the students to create "Mathematically correct artwork" in class.